1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improved methods and systems for calculating Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published or FAA Air Traffic Control assigned aeronautical holding patterns, using electronic devices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have been numerous prior inventions for determining holding patterns for aircraft, but none that are equivalent to the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,110,965, issued on Nov. 19, 1963, to James A. Kittock, discloses a device to aid pilots in entering and maintaining a holding pattern from a preset holding fix. It is not a method using an electronic device, but is an entry calculator (for tear drop, parallel and direct entries), and has no wind corrections, as is the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,171, issued on Jan. 8, 1980, to Ivan L. Looker, discloses an aircraft navigation device that aids a pilot in flying holding patterns. Although it includes VOR radio receivers, it is not a method using an electronic device, does not calculate a heading, and does not calculate wind corrections, as in the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,204, issued on Jun. 23, 1981, to Freddy R. Self, discloses an aircraft pattern computer, that is a mechanical device, rather than a method using an electronic device, and is primarily a traffic pattern calculator, not a holding pattern calculator, and does not calculate outbound heading or wind corrections, as does the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,167,627, issued on Jan. 2, 2001, to Bruce Gary Wilder and Otto Charles Wilke, discloses an aeronautical holding pattern calculator, having both mechanical and electronic embodiments. It does not disclose the improvements that are the subject of the instant invention, including the use of the differential equations given below.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,678,587, issued on Jan. 13, 2004, to Ronald J. Miller, discloses a system for a tanker plane entering a rendezvous orbit with a plane to be refueled, that includes entering a holding pattern. It does not disclose the use of the differential equations of the instant invention. It is designed for military operations, and for airspace that is designed specifically for an air refueling mission, not for civilian holding patterns, as is the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,847,866, issued on Jan. 25, 2005, to Chad E. Gaier, discloses shortened aircraft holding patterns using FMS. It does not disclose the use of the differential equations of the instant invention. It is for exiting a hold, not staying in the hold, and it does not indicate whether you are within the FAA protected airspace, as does the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,003,383, issued on Feb. 21, 2006, to Jim R. Rumbo et al., discloses a flight management system using holding pattern entry algorithms. It does not disclose the use of the differential equations of the instant invention. Its algorithms are specifically for hold entries (teardrop, parallel and direct) and it does not account for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) holding space parameters, as does the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,152,332, issued on Dec. 26, 2006, to Ashish Kumar Jain and Gerald Lamar Miley, discloses a navigational assist system for determining entry procedures for holding and runway traffic patterns. It is a simplistic mechanical device, rather than a method using an electronic device as in the instant invention, that calculates outbound headings and wind corrections, and depicts holding space limits.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,370,790, issued on May 13, 2008, to Jan Martincik and Jana Martincikova, discloses an apparatus for visualizing and determining a holding pattern and entry procedure. It is a mechanical device, rather than a method using an electronic device as in the instant invention. It is a visual aid to identify the quadrant the plane is flying in for teardrop, parallel and direct holding pattern entries. It does not correct for wind, nor provide information on an outbound heading or airspace, as does the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,903,000, issued on Mar. 8, 2011, to Jason L. Hammack et al., discloses a system for representing a holding pattern on a vertical situation display. It does not disclose the use of the differential equations of the instant invention. It does not show a wind compensated holding pattern and FAA protected airspace, as does the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 377,942, issued on Feb. 11, 1997, to John K. McCloy, discloses a design for a multi-layer rotary holding pattern entry calculator. Again, it is a mechanical device, rather than a method for using an electronic device as in the instant invention. It is for entry information only, not the hold itself. It does no wind or heading calculations, as does the instant invention.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0319100, issued on Dec. 24, 2009, to Nitin Anand Kale and Keshav Rao, discloses systems and methods for defining and rendering a trajectory of an aircraft. It may be used for holding patterns (see the next to the last sentence in paragraph 0049 on page 7). Again, it does not disclose the use of the differential equations of the instant invention. It may re-label a way point as a holding way point. It does not calculate holding patterns to stay within depicted FAA holding airspace, as does the instant invention.
Japanese Patent No. 7-104853, published on Apr. 21, 1995, inventors Takashi Oki, Masahiro Hattori and Naoyuki Yamashita, discloses an automatically guided flight system for an airplane, capable of following an airplane in a turning course while holding a turning radius. It does not appear to be designed to calculate holding patterns, as in the instant invention.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.